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Masquerade

Original title: Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja
  • 20122012
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 2h 11m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
6.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
Trailer for Masquerade
Play trailer0:37
1 Video
15 Photos
  • Drama
  • History

A look-alike commoner is secretly hired to take the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.A look-alike commoner is secretly hired to take the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.A look-alike commoner is secretly hired to take the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.

IMDb RATING
7.8/10
6.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Chang-min Choo
  • Writers
    • Jo-yun Hwang(screenplay)
    • Chang-min Choo(screenplay adaptation)
    • Masato Ide(screenplay "Kagemusha")
  • Stars
    • Lee Byung-hun
    • Seung-ryong Ryu
    • Han Hyo-joo
Top credits
  • Director
    • Chang-min Choo
  • Writers
    • Jo-yun Hwang(screenplay)
    • Chang-min Choo(screenplay adaptation)
    • Masato Ide(screenplay "Kagemusha")
  • Stars
    • Lee Byung-hun
    • Seung-ryong Ryu
    • Han Hyo-joo
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 34User reviews
    • 28Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 22 wins & 16 nominations

    Videos1

    Masquerade
    Trailer 0:37
    Masquerade

    Photos15

    Lee Byung-hun in Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
    Lee Byung-hun in Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
    Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
    Lee Byung-hun in Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
    Lee Byung-hun in Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
    Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
    Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
    Shim Eun-kyung in Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
    Han Hyo-joo in Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
    Lee Byung-hun in Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
    Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
    Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lee Byung-hun
    Lee Byung-hun
    • Gwang-haeas Gwang-hae…
    Seung-ryong Ryu
    Seung-ryong Ryu
    • Heo Gyunas Heo Gyun
    Han Hyo-joo
    Han Hyo-joo
    • The Queenas The Queen
    Kim In-kwon
    Kim In-kwon
    • Captain Doas Captain Do
    Jang Gwang
    Jang Gwang
    • Eunuch Joas Eunuch Jo
    Shim Eun-kyung
    Shim Eun-kyung
    • Sa-wolas Sa-wol
    Kim Myung-gon
    Kim Myung-gon
    • Park Choong-seoas Park Choong-seo
    Jeon Bae-soo
    Jeon Bae-soo
    • Hyeong-pan - Minister of Justiceas Hyeong-pan - Minister of Justice
    • (as Bae-Su Jeon)
    Kwon Bang-hyeon
    • Royal Kitchen Court Lady 2as Royal Kitchen Court Lady 2
    Kim Bi-bi
    Kim Bi-bi
    • Queen's Court Ladyas Queen's Court Lady
    Lee Bong-ryun
    Lee Bong-ryun
    • Royal Kitchen Court Lady 1as Royal Kitchen Court Lady 1
    • (as Bong-ryeon Lee)
    Moon Chang-gil
    Moon Chang-gil
    • Prime Ministeras Prime Minister
    • (as Chang-Kil Moon)
    Won Dong-yun
    Won Dong-yun
    • Classical Scholar Hong Roo-mongas Classical Scholar Hong Roo-mong
    Seung Ee-yeol
    • Sa-wol's Royal Physicianas Sa-wol's Royal Physician
    Lee El
    Lee El
    • Lady Ahnas Lady Ahn
    Seo Eun-jeong
    • Gwang-hae's Court Ladyas Gwang-hae's Court Lady
    Kwon Eun-soo
    Kwon Eun-soo
    • Gwang-hae's Towel Court Ladyas Gwang-hae's Towel Court Lady
    Kim Gil-dong
    Kim Gil-dong
    • Money Camouflageas Money Camouflage
    • Director
      • Chang-min Choo
    • Writers
      • Jo-yun Hwang(screenplay)
      • Chang-min Choo(screenplay adaptation)
      • Masato Ide(screenplay "Kagemusha") (uncredited)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Amid national chaos and fear for his life, tyrannical King Gwanghae orders his trusted councilor Heo Kyun to find a royal body double. He hires Ha-seon, a peasant mimic who bears a perfect resemblance to the King. When King Gwanghae collapses from a mysterious poison, Ha-seon reluctantly becomes a King. He must follow his conscience to save his country from collapse, avoid assassination, and pull off the biggest masquerade in history. K —CJ Entertainment
    • royalty
    • body double
    • court
    • secretary
    • korea
    • 54 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The kingdom in the hand of a layman for 15 days.
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • History
    • Certificate
      • Not Rated
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The idea for Masquerade developed from the true story of missing records totalling 15 days from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. Knowing that the king was kind, but paranoid, the staff constructed this idea as something that could have happened during that undocumented time.
    • Connections
      Remade as The Crowned Clown (2019)

    User reviews34

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Charming take on an old theme
    As has been pointed out by other reviewers, this story is a new spin on "The Prince and the Pauper." It actually reminded me, however, of the American movie "Dave," in that the protagonist is a naive pawn whose empathy allows him to rise to the occasion, including finding love in the chaos.

    Byung-hun Lee is simply an amazing actor. Having seen his "dark" side in movies like "A Bittersweet Life" and "I Saw the Devil," I was very pleased to see he could handle the role of Ha-Seon with such a light touch. It was a joy to see him effortlessly shift from hilarious toilet humor to inspiring leader. I was particularly struck with the scenes where he interacted with commoners, in which I really felt the empathy Ha-Seon felt for them.

    This is the first of director Chang-min Choo's movies I've seen, and I was impressed at how he was able to seamlessly balance the light and serious scenes in the movies. To often, one or the other seems forced, but here Choo creates a character who grows and changes, but still remains, at heart, the same, good person he was at the beginning -- the kind of person who, by the end of the story, could be happy and believable as a king or a pauper. I think Choo also gave the movie a more intimate feel by focusing on one-on-one conversations and limiting the normal "cast of thousands" you often see in period pieces about kings.

    Overall, the acting was top notch -- particularly from Hyo-ju Han as the Queen and Hyo-ju Han as Minister Do -- and the costumes and set design were beautiful.

    Masquerade is an engaging and charming period piece with humor, action, and romance.
    helpful•6
    1
    • centinel822
    • Apr 11, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 13, 2012 (South Korea)
    • Country of origin
      • South Korea
    • Official sites
      • Official site (Japan)
      • Official site (South Korea)
    • Language
      • Korean
    • Also known as
      • Hoàng Đế Giả Mạo
    • Filming locations
      • Seoul, South Korea
    • Production companies
      • CJ Entertainment
      • Realies Pictures
      • CJ E&M Film Financing & Investment Entertainment & Comics
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $922,921
    • Gross worldwide
      • $94,268,432
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 11 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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